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Samgyetang is a hot soup for hot summer days. It is especially popular to eat this chicken soup on sambok (삼복) days, which are three distinct days of the lunar calendar — Chobok (초복), Jungbok (중복), and Malbok (말복) - which are commonly among the hottest and most sultry days in Korea.[1][2] It is believed to eat the soup threetimes in this period is good for your health.

Some specialty restaurants in South Korea serve nothing but samgyetang, having gained local popularity through their special recipes for the dish, which are often kept as secrets. The dish is usually accompanied by side dishes and, in some restaurants, a small complimentary bottle of insamju (ginseng wine).[3][4]

In Cantonese, it is translated as yun sum gai tong. In Chinese culture, similar to Korean culture, this soup is believed to prevent illness. The one main difference is that in Chinese culture, ginseng is not consumed when one is sick because the ginseng is believed to trap the sickness within the person.[5]